An Allentown youth development center is holding a protest Thursday over its allegations that a mortgage company is attempting to oust the center from its building.

The Caring Place, at 931 Hamilton St., claims that ELG Realty wants the building now that property values are rising due to the building's location in the Neighborhood Improvement Zone tax district. The Caring Place serves inner city youth.

A phone message today to real estate agent Sean Ganey, who is associated with ELG Realty, was not immediately returned.

"We just want everyone to be aware of this injustice that's been going on and understand it's affecting the children," said Caring Place Executive Director Mary Ellen Griffin. "Closing a youth center will affect the youth. Closing a community center will affect the community."

The Caring Place and the Allentown NAACP will be holding a protest noon Thursday outside the 2040 Tilghman St. offices of Croslis Realty, owned by attorney and former Lehigh County Executive Matt Croslis.

Ganey is an agent with Croslis Realty. Griffin has alleged Croslis was involved with his plans for the Caring Place building which, if true, would be a breach in attorney conduct for taking an averse position against a former client.

Croslis denies any such allegations: "I can't modify the mortgage, I never gave away any confidential information, and I don't benefit in any way from any of this.'

He said he had no knowledge of the situation until after Griffin was made aware of it, and then he offered to work with her on a resolution, but that she declined.

Croslis said two former attorneys for Griffin had negotiated deals that would have restructured her mortgage more favorably for the Caring Place, but that she has rejected both of those deals.

"When you hear her side of it, it looks horrible and it sounds horrible, I get that, but that's not what happened," Croslis said. "If she started making payments on any one of their offers, any one of them would be better than what she had before."

ELG Realty is now the mortgage holder for the Caring Place, and
recently exercised a contractual right to collect mortgage payments from
the primary tenant, which is Lehigh Valley Hospital. If the mortgage
isn't paid, a foreclosure auction could occur.

Griffin said
she could be forced to close as early as next week due to depleted
revenues as a result of ELG Realty's actions. Griffin had claimed she
was up on her mortgage payments, but ELG Realty said otherwise.

Her attorneys are attempting to respond to a motion for summary judgment filed against her. They have until Thursday to either respond or ask for an extension, Griffin said.

A phone message to Dan Bosket, president of the Allentown NAACP, was not immediately returned. Croslis said he is meeting with him today to explain the situation.

Allentown's 130-acre Neighborhood Improvement Zone diverts nonproperty taxes for redevelopment projects downtown and along the city's waterfront, including the minor league hockey arena being built in Center City.